Get Ready for Summer! Fun Vacation Keepsake Projects

Since the summer vacation season is just beginning, I wanted to tell you about these fun vacation keepsakes. I’ve shared this post before so you might remember seeing it, but I’m going to share the idea again because I think these would be good to think about before the vacations begin!

Have your kids or grand kids gather mementos all summer and during any vacations so they’ll be ready to put one or more of these keepsakes together!

Happy travels!

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My son loves collecting little keepsakes and treasures. Sometimes we go on leisurely treasure hunt walks through our neighborhood, hand in hand, to see what we can find. We pick up pine cones, bottle caps, pretty rocks and leaves. I love going on treasure hunt walks with him. He also enjoys finding or buying little keepsakes on our beach trips.

Sadly some of those little treasures get stuffed in a drawer or lost in the hustle and bustle of life. We try to remember to put things like shells in the apothecary jars in our front entry or the lantern on our front porch, but I really like the idea of letting him fill his own jars as a creative project.

Why let those little moments be forgotten so quickly?

I saw these keepsake jars over at Martha Stewart and thought they were a fun way to capture those summer vacation memories. Aren’t they cute? Martha suggests using bendable wire to ease trinkets into the jar if the mouth is a little narrow. I would think you could even use wire to help mementos stand up or “float” within the jar.

These jars would also make sweet gifts or mementos for:

an anniversary (fill with keepsakes from dating or the wedding)

first year of baby’s life (put their first booties, hair clips, hats, hospital bracelets, hospital snap shots, pacifier)

a year in review (tiny mementos from the past year)

a gift for grandparents or for any other loved one or occasion in life

you could even make one as a teacher’s gift!

Another variation is making shadow boxes with summer vacation keepsakes! Both from Martha Stewart.

Day trips only… What a great idea for saving treasures. Hope that you and your son have many opportunities this summer for treasure walks. If one has a plan for the found items beforehand, it makes it much easier to allow the hunt to begin in the first place.

I’m sure I read this post before, but today I got excited when I read your idea to put kids’ baby stuff in a pretty jar. How much more attractive than the plastic storage boxes all that stuff is in now! I will add that to my list of things to do on this week’s stay-cation!

Love it.
We have a couple of version so of this going. In one ball jar we have a growing beach glass collection.

In another I have some sand and shells from a trip.

In another, we have really cool unique rocks we’ve found.

This year will once again be traveling by car and camping many nights. It’s all about the most fun we can have while saving the most money possible. (Even our teenager gets a kick when we save lots of dough – pretty cool.)

We’re staying fairly close to home this year–lucky for us we live in San Francisco, near A TON of places people fly in to visit! Our summer trip will be to Sonoma, with plenty of Wine Country shopping for me, rest for my hubby, along with lunch at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Yountville.

Welcome! I'm Melissa Michaels. I created The Inspired Room in 2007 to inspire women to fall in love with the home they have. Ten years later, I'm still here doing my thing and loving every minute of it. I'm so glad YOU are here!